Chapter Sixty-Four
Looking at Qin Zhining's thin face, Granny Cheng both cried and laughed, unable to get enough of looking at her. "Young Miss, you...you look exactly like Miss."
When the original owner of Qin Zhining was abandoned by her biological father at the old family home, she was only five years old and her face was still very tender. The impressions that Granny Cheng and Qiu Xiang had of her were all based on that time.
Upon seeing fourteen-year-old Qin Zhining, the two were so excited that they didn't know what to say. Tears streamed down their faces, and they couldn't stop wiping them away.
The young lady sitting in front of them looked exactly like their own young lady, how could they not be extremely excited?
Qiu Xiang was so excited that she didn't know what to do with her hands and feet. She nodded while wiping away her tears, "Yes, Miss, you look just like Miss. You are both so elegant and beautiful."
The man outside the woodshed, Qiu Xiang, was also Xie Mingyuan's servant. Naturally, he wholeheartedly supported the young lady. Hearing the joyous sounds of crying and laughing inside the woodshed, he quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Cheng Mama, Qiu Xiang, have you eaten?" After crying and laughing, Qin Zhining urged Qiu Xiang to cook and fill their stomachs.
Qiu Xiang and Granny Cheng exchanged a glance and shook their heads somewhat embarrassedly. "On the estate, we servants... don't get dinner. This is what the stepmother requested."
"A stepmother?" Qin Zhining frowned. "You mean An Qinghe, the An family? Pshaw... What kind of stepmother is she? She's just delusional."
Without the approval of my mother and my maternal grandparents, she could never be the second wife of this household; she would always be a concubine, a servant in this household.
"Really?" Qiu Xiang was still young and couldn't keep her composure. She couldn't help but laugh through her tears.
"That's wonderful. How can we let that bitch An Qinghe take the place of Miss's principal wife?"
Granny Cheng was also filled with relief, and said with tears in her eyes, "In that case, Miss can rest easy over there. An will get her comeuppance sooner or later."
Back then, Granny Zhou, Granny Cheng, An Qinghe, Liu Wanrou, and Zhan Qiuxiang were all part of the original owner's dowry, Xie Mingyuan. As a result, they became the source of today's disaster.
Qin Zhining comforted the two of them for a few more minutes before asking in bewilderment, "Granny Cheng, Qiuxiang, if I remember correctly, that estate was my mother's dowry."
"So... does An Qinghe mean that no one in the entire village should eat dinner, or is she just forbidding you from eating?"
Granny Cheng and Qiu Xiang tearfully revealed the truth: "Yes, none of us who served Miss were allowed to eat dinner."
And... Zhang Ding and Li Er were also sent to another village, and I heard they were barely alive.
Granny Zhou…she was beaten to death long ago. The young master knows all this, but he says that the inner quarters of the county magistrate's mansion are managed by that wretched woman, Madam An, and we…we almost lost our lives.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhining's anger flared up.
However, she still told Granny Cheng and Qiu Xiang to go to the kitchen to cook first, so that the children wouldn't go hungry.
Ever since Miss Xie Mingyuan left, Granny Cheng has been heartbroken and has long since given up the idea of starting a family, so she is still alone.
After Qiu Xiang married Chai Shunzi, the youngest son of the estate manager, she had three children: Chai Xiu, Chai Li, and Chai Bao.
Worried that the three children of the Chai family would go hungry, Granny Cheng said no more. She took the white flour buns, a few eggs, and a piece of cooked meat that Qin Zhining had given her and went to the kitchen to reheat them.
Another maidservant arranged by Aunt An saw that the second young lady had taken out white steamed buns, cooked meat, dumplings, and eggs. Her eyes widened immediately, and she ran to the inner courtyard to report the news.
“Master, listen to this, the second young lady… she bought so many things, but didn’t give any of them to the family.”
"Tell me, does she really dislike this home that much? Sir, this child has been spoiled rotten at the old house."
After hearing the maid's report, Aunt An grumbled angrily, and at the end, she didn't forget to wipe away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes.
Qin Youming's face was terribly gloomy, but he couldn't beat or scold his extremely rebellious little daughter, so he could only watch helplessly as she caused trouble at home.
But he was unwilling to swallow his anger, so he snorted and got up to go to the backyard.
When he saw that in the woodshed, Granny Cheng, Qiu Xiang, and others were having a lively meal with Qin Zhining, Chai Shun and Qin Xiaoxiao had already disappeared.
After the two hurriedly ate a bite of food, Qin Zhining sent them to another village to rescue Zhang Ding and Li Er.
“Xiaoxiao, when you get there, don’t be lenient with anyone. If anyone dares to stop you from rescuing Zhang Ding and Li Er, don’t be polite. Just use your fists to settle things.”
Qin Zhining instructed Qin Xiaoxiao, "You are the master, and those people on the estate are servants. There's no need to give them face. If anyone is fierce, just beat them to death."
秦小小就爱揍人，听到可以随便打人，她可高兴了，便说带比划，呜了哇啦地眉飞色舞。
Qin Zhining then instructed Chai Shun, "Uncle Chai, you go with Xiaoxiao. If any of the people in the manor try to stop you, just tell them that their indentures are with me. Anyone who dares to ruin my plans will be sold off tomorrow."
Chai Shun was moved to tears by being addressed as "Uncle Chai," and nodded repeatedly, indicating that he would never disgrace the young lady.
Qin Xiaoxiao and Chai Shun then left the county magistrate's residence through the back door.
The old woman guarding the back gate wouldn't open the door and wouldn't let anyone leave? Qin Zhining directly ordered Chai Bao, Chai Li, and Chai Xiu to take the rope, tie up the old woman, and gag her. They would sell her to a brokerage firm tomorrow.
The old woman then realized she was afraid and begged for mercy repeatedly.
“I will not keep someone who betrays my mother.” The old woman who guarded the gate was rescued by the original owner’s mother and bought back for five hundred coins. However, things have changed, and in just a few years, this life-saving kindness was destroyed by the old woman.
Qin Youming was unaware that his own daughter had already begun to retaliate against him. She rushed to the woodshed with Aunt An, and when she saw Qin Zhining and the others laughing and chatting happily, her anger flared up even more, and she began to accuse them.
"You unfilial brat, you bought so much food and you don't respect your parents at all. You're worse than an animal!"
Following closely behind Qin Youming, Aunt An was indeed the type to never learn her lesson. As soon as she opened her mouth, she added fuel to the fire, blaming Qin Zhining for being an unfilial and disrespectful daughter, and simply unbearable.
After they finished their chatter, Qin Zhining stood up and pointed to the woodshed, saying slowly, "Oh, Master Qin, are you here to lecture me on the rules again?"
Shall we have a proper discussion? Look at you two, you've been chatting away so loudly since you came in. It makes it seem like your family is well-mannered, and it also makes you seem like a kind person.
They eat people's food but don't poop their pants, yet they let their own daughter, the eldest legitimate daughter, live in such a poor, destitute place? Where is your shame?
And then there's your even more shameless eldest daughter, Qin Zhiyu, who loves to steal other women's men, just like her vile mother. So, are you planning to give my mother's dowry and money or not?"
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